Chapter 10

Love at First Light

[A/N] Hey guys. First of all I'm SOOOOO sorry for the lack of updates. College has been really stressful due to the workload I'm being put under and pretty much all of my time and effort is being put into that. What's left of my time and effort goes towards pursuing an online relationship with a girl I have met on the internet (She's not a catfish). Anyway, I finally have some spare time so I thought I'd attempt to get a new chapter out. I really want to see this story through. Enjoy!

Sunlight from the early dawn pierced through the gloom of the abandoned grocery store, bathing the interior in a dull yellow light. Cross was just waking up. He'd had some very peculiar dreams. Dreams that started as nightmares, where he was cold and alone, surrounded by death. But then someone came along and made them fade away. He felt their warmth comfort him, cover him like a shield. Protecting him from all the pain.

He still felt that warmth now. Despite the fact he was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts, he was comfortable. Only then did it register, someone was touching him. He looked down and saw a pair of clawed hands wrapped around his abdomen. "Holly." He thought. Suddenly, last night's events came flooding back and washed over him like a tsunami. They'd told each other some of their deepest and darkest secrets, their biggest insecurities. And of course, shared their first kiss. Cross still felt the butterfly's in his stomach. Although their lips touched only briefly, it felt like an eternity. Deep down, he wished it lasted longer. He turned over to face her. She was sound asleep, breathing in and out. Cross couldn't help be awestruck by her beauty. He could have watched her for hours. Holly's eyes slowly opened. Cross was instantly lost in her golden orbs. "Good morning." She said quietly.

"Good morning." He replied. There was still an awkward tension between them, and after last night's events, it was back with a vengeance. They were not sure what to say to each other. Finally, Holly broke the silence.

"Listen, Cross. I'm sorry about last night, I don't know what came over me. I guess I just got caught up in the moment."

Cross sighed "It's okay Holly. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did about it. I mean, I won't lie but, you do mean a lot to me. If it wasn't for you, my brains would have painted all over a hotel room wall." Holly looked surprised at this.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked.

"Well, I'd lost my entire unit. I was the only one left. I didn't have anything left to fight for. I was a split second away from putting a bullet in my head, when I heard you cry. If you hadn't of cried at that exact moment, we wouldn't be here. You gave me a reason to fight on Holly. I can't thank you enough for that."

Holly was dumbstruck. She couldn't believe he had thought about killing himself. They both sat up and stared at each other. Cross cleared his throat "Anyway, we need to get moving soon. Get dressed and I'll get us something to eat." He stood up and walked towards the bathroom where he had left his uniform, weapon and backpack the night before. As he was getting dressed into his still damp clothes, he couldn't help but think about how he truly felt about Holly. He thought about everything that he liked about her. She was beautiful, smart, she could even crack a good joke. The more he thought about her, the more he realised how perfect she was. He had never felt this way about anyone before. Could this be what love felt like?

"No. No this can't be happening. You can't fall in love with a zombie man. How the fuck are you gonna make that work? You can't so just forget about her." Cross sighed heavily and put his head in his hands. He had finally found the girl of his dreams, a girl he could picture building a future with, and she was infected. In truth, he didn't have a problem with that. But there was no doubt in his mind that the surviving human population would. He knew she was sane, that she wasn't dangerous. And even if they could get a cure from her, would they let her go? Would they let her lead a normal life? Cross needed these questions answered. But there was a more important question he needed answered first. Does she feel the same way?

Sure, she kissed him, but she said she was caught up in the moment. Unless she was lying about it. "I need to know. But not now. I'll find the right time to ask her how she really feels." Cross finished getting changed, feeling like he had a better grip on things. He walked back to Holly and threw a chocolate bar to her. Despite her clumsy clawed hands, she caught it. "Breakfast." Cross said with a slight hint of laughter in his voice. Holly looked at the food. "This is what passes for breakfast in the army?"

Cross laughed a little "No this is what passes from breakfast in the apocalypse. I ran out of MRE rations about two days ago, so this is the best I can do."

Holly chuckled "It's fine soldier boy. Better than nothing."

They ate in relative silence. Cross was still astounded by her beauty.

"You know, you're eyes are weird." He said

Holly looked up, caught off guard by his comment. "Okay? How exactly?"

"Well when you're calm and relaxed, they're gold. But when you're surprised or shocked, they go red. Kinda like a chameleon." He answered.

"How the fuck is that like a chameleon?" She asked.

"Well chameleons change colour based on their mood, not their environment." Cross was kind of proud of that. He never thought that piece of useless trivia would come in handy.

Holly laughed "God, you're so weird! How the hell did the army take a geek like you?" She asked jokingly.

Cross laughed louder "I ask myself that question everyday!" They both began laughing louder and louder. Suddenly, the ground shook. They stopped laughing and stared at each other. Then a loud roar erupted from outside. Cross ran to the window and looked through it. "Oh shit. Get down!" He shouted as he threw Holly to the floor and dived on top of her. Suddenly, the front of the grocery store smashed as a car came flying through it. Cross stood up and pulled Holly to her feet. They stared at the massive infected in the street. "Cross? What the fuck is that?" Holly asked, trembling with fear. Cross pulled up his rifle.

"A tank."

[A/N] So there is chapter 10. Never thought I'd get this far when I first started writing this story, but thanks to all the reviews I've gotten I'm glad I've kept going. If you guys ever want to get in touch with me then send me a message. You can add me on facebook or follow me on twitter too if you want. Just inbox me and I'll give you the information. Thanks for reading guys. Make sure to leave a review!